In the program, experts deploy along creek banks throughout the season to collect fish in creeks near the lake and spawn the salmon at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. Then, hatchery employees and FISH members spawn the fish and tend to the eggs until tiny fry can be released into local creeks.

The kokanee program includes the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, King County and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Despite the broad participation, the program — considered as a stopgap measure for kokanee survival — operates on a limited budget.

The local Trout Unlimited chapter is another important participant in the effort.

In recent years, the number of salmon in the late-fall and early-winter run has dwindled to fewer than 1,000 in some seasons. The fish return to only a handful of creeks — Ebright, Laughing Jacobs and Lewis — to spawn.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officials declined last year to list the species as endangered. The agency determined the Lake Sammamish kokanee population did not meet the definition of a “listable entity” under the “distinct population segment” policy.

The once-abundant kokanee declined in recent decades, perhaps due to construction near creeks, increased predators, disease or changes in water quality.